The present invention generally relates to light transmitting devices and systems and, more particularly, to a right angle light diverter, to a right angle optical splitter, and to a method for splitting an initial light source into numerous light beams.
Optical fibers are transparent thin fibers, such as long, thin strands of optically pure glass, for transmitting light. Typically, optical fibers are arranged in bundles, such as optical cables, and are used in various industries to transmit light or light signals, such as digital information, over long distances. Generally, two types of optical fibers exist, single-mode fibers and multi-mode fibers. Single-mode fibers transmit infrared laser light (wavelength=1,300 to 1,550 nanometers), whereas multi-mode fibers transmit infrared light (wavelength=850 to 1,300 nm) from light-emitting diodes (LED's). Some optical fibers can be made from plastic. These fibers have a large core (0.04 inches or 1 mm diameter) and transmit visible red light (wavelength=650 nm) from LED's. When using optical fibers, the optical cables need to be installed by curving the optical cables in relatively large diameters. Generally, it is not possible to bend an optical fiber, for example, at a 90° angle.
Many applications require a homogenous light beam. Therefore, a light beam coming out of an optical fiber is often sent through an optical light homogenizer to ensure beam conformity. Typically, a hexagonal glass rod manufactured out of a piece of specialized glass, such as quartz glass, is used for this purpose. The hexagonal glass rod needs to be highly polished on both ends and needs to be coated on the outside with a highly reflective coating, which creates high manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the hexagonal glass rod is highly fragile and needs to be handled carefully, which might be difficult to realize in industrial applications. Still further, the light passing through the hexagonal glass rod may lose some of its intensity and the hexagonal glass rod cannot be adjusted to different wavelengths.
Some fiber optic applications, for example, data links, require more than simple point-to point connections. Fiber optic components that can redistribute, split or combine optical signals throughout a fiber optics system may be required for these applications. One type of fiber optic components that allow for redistribution of optical signals is a fiber optic coupler. A fiber optic coupler is a device that can distribute the optical signal from one fiber among two or more fibers. A fiber optic coupler can also combine the optical signal from two or more fibers into a single fiber. Fiber optic couplers attenuate the signal resulting in a loss of intensity because the input signal is divided among the output ports. Fiber optic couplers can be either active or passive devices. The difference between active and passive couplers is that a passive coupler redistributes the optical signal without optical-to-electrical conversion. Active couplers are electronic devices that split or combine the signal electrically and use fiber optic detectors and sources for input and output. An optical splitter is a passive device that typically splits the optical power carried by a single input fiber into two output fibers. The input optical power is normally split evenly between the two output fibers. However, an optical splitter may distribute the optical power carried by input power in an uneven manner. In this case, an optical splitter may split most of the power from the input fiber to one of the output fibers and only a small amount of the power into the secondary output fiber. Usually, optical splitters have low transmission efficiency resulting in a loss of optical power due to their design.
As can be seen, there is a need for a fiber optic component that enables bending a light beam traveling through an optical fiber at a right angle. Furthermore, there is a need for a fiber optic component that can be used as an optical splitter and as an optical homogenizer. Still further, there is a need for a method for distributing the optical signal from one fiber among two or more fibers without losing optical power.
There has, therefore, arisen a need to provide a light diverter that enables bending a light beam at a right angle while producing and maintaining a homogenous light profile. There has further arisen a need to provide a fiber optic component and method that enables splitting optical power carried by a single input fiber between two or more output fibers without losing optical power. There has still further arisen a need for a fiber optic component for homogenizing and splitting optical signals that is inexpensive and that can be used in rugged environments.